In week 14 of 2026 (April 5-11), CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) network-wide carloads were flat while revenue ton-miles (RTMs) increased by 3% compared to the same week in 2025, according to new data released by the Railway Association of Canada (RAC).
Across their North American networks, grain and fertilizers experienced “strong, double-digit growth” in carloads (+13%) and RTMs (+15%). Carloads and RTMs also increased for automotive and metals and minerals. Traffic volumes decreased for intermodal; forest products; and coal. Carloads of energy, chemicals and plastics increased while RTMs decreased, the RAC reported on April 21.
Across the first 14 weeks of 2026, Canadian Class I network-wide carloads were flat while RTMs were up 3% compared to the same period in 2025 (+1,101 carloads and +3,711 million RTMs). Growth was driven by “significant increases of grain and fertilizers (+38,746 carloads, or +9%; +4,926 million RTMs, or +12%), followed by intermodal (+10,422 carloads, or +1%; +723 million RTMs, or 3%), and to a lesser extent, energy, chemicals and plastics.” These gains, RAC says, “were partially offset by reductions in coal; metals and minerals; and forest products.” Automotive year-to-date RTMs remain higher compared to the same period in 2025, though carloads are still down, “indicating an increase in the average length of haul.”
The figure below shows Canadian Class I network-wide traffic in each week. When temperatures drop below -25 Celsius (-13 Fahrenheit), railways are required to implement train length and speed restrictions to maintain safety, “which unavoidably impact supply chain velocity and capacity,” the RAC noted. Extreme cold also impacts other parts of the supply chain. For example, terminal loading and unloading by railway customers often slows during extreme cold.
In February 2025, railway operations were impacted by persistent, extreme cold in the three reporting weeks spanning Feb. 2-22. Temperature data from select cities (including Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, and Calgary) show that temperatures dropped below -25 Celsius (-13 Fahrenheit) in 19 of 21 days in at least one of those locations, compared to just 1 of 21 days in the same period in 2024.
Western Canadian Grain
In the 2024-2025 crop year (August 2024-July 2025), CN and CPKC moved 58.6 million metric tons of Canadian grain and grain products, 22% higher than the previous three-year average, according to the RAC’s data.
In Week 36 (April 5-11) of the 2025-2026 crop year, CN and CPKC moved more than 1.4 million metric tons of Canadian grain and grain products, the highest weekly total since November 2025. This was achieved, RAC says, despite coming out of the Easter weekend, “where reduced terminal productivity delayed returns of empty hopper cars back into the country.”
Over the 2025–26 crop year to date, total shipments are up 8% compared to the previous three-year average.
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